Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues
Published on: June 3, 2013
Anatomical correlates for category-specific naming of living and non-living things
Carlo Giussani1, Matteo Riva, Marcello Gallucci
1Centres Hospitalo-Universitaires, F-31059 Toulouse, France. carlo.giussani@libero.it
Introduction:
Selective naming categories impairments for living and non-living things are widely reported in brain damaged patients. Electrostimulation mapping was used to study the possible anatomical segregation of living/non-living categories in a prospective series of patients operated on for tumor removal.
Materials And Methods:
Fifty brain mappings (patients with no language impairment; range: 14-80 years; mean: 48 years; 26 males; 5 left handed) were performed in 46 left and 4 right hemispheres using two linguistically controlled tasks (naming for living and non-living things) during an awake surgery procedure. Fifteen regions and four macro cortical areas were designed to analyze the distribution of the interference sites.
Results:
Over 761 sites stimulated in the lateral hemispheres, 130 naming interferences sites were detected in small cortical areas (<1cm(2)). High individual variability was observed for living/non-living word retrieval localization and organization with a majority (62%) of shared living/non-living interferences. Specific living (12%) or non-living (26%) interferences were found too. In group analysis, no statistical significant anatomical localization was observed for living items in left lateral hemispheric cortex. A statistical significant representation of interference sites for non-living objects was found (Generalized Estimating Equation methodology, z-test=2.28, p=0.027) in the left posterolateral temporoparietal cortex. No influence of histopathology, gender and age on anatomical localization of naming categories was detected.
Conclusion:
The existence of dedicated neural structures for naming non-living things in the left posterolateral temporoparietal cortex is supported by this study although high individual differences exist in the organization of word categories retrieval.
Related Concept Videos
Anatomical Terminology
Taxonomy
Regional Terms
Primarily, the human body has two major regions, the axial and appendicular regions. The axial region comprises regions from the head to the abdomen and makes up the central body axis. In contrast,...
Naming Skeletal Muscles
The key factors used in naming muscles include:
Anatomy of the Brain: Major Regions
The cerebrum is the largest section of the brain and divides into left and right hemispheres, separated by a deep fissure. The cerebral outer layer of grey matter — the cerebral cortex — comprises elevations called gyri and shallow groves called sulci. The inner portion of white matter includes long nerve fibers known as axons, which connect various areas...
Cerebrum: Anatomical Overview II

